Dirk

Just taken the heads off. This one seems to have hydraulic lifters! Also the inlet valves are about 2mm bigger in diameter. Head gaskets are same as my ones. Sadly there is some surface rust in one of the cylinders. the piston is free to move so hopefully its not game over yet.

Iv'e just scored a EA71 which seems to have some unusual differences. As far as I can tell the block and heads are the same size as my EA71 but the differences are as follows. 1. EA81 side start bell housing. 2. EA81 style water pump. 3. Larger EA81 Carb 4. Intergrel water cooling passage in the block The Inlet manifold the the same length as my EA71. Is this a "fat case" model and if so does anyone have the specs for it (power/torque) Cheers Dirk

TA DA! Custom made in Mahogany. In place of the ash tray. Not GL but it might inspire you.

TA DA! Don't they look cool!

And they are mine! Oh ************. I haven't told the wife yet........ Hope you are still good to drop them off in Wanaka? Cheers, Dirk.

Cool! Now all I have to do is convince the missus. I wonder if she got me a christmas present yet.........

New gaskets on, engine flushed through a couple of times. Fresh oil and filter. All seems ok. A little moisture still in the engine but that should burn off pretty quick, especially in this dry climate. I suspect the faulty thermostat is to blame for the gasket failure. Replacing this tomorrow. Other than that, I think I got away with it. Time will tell. A warning to others. Coolant in the oil can eat away at the bearings. Best to remove it ASAP.

Don't suppose you are swinging by wanaka some time?

If its cutting out at full acceleration I wonder if the fuel pump is working properly? Or perhaps the float level is incorect. I would also eliminate any electrical issues. Maybe check if the HT leads are loose. When it dies, does it imiediately start again? Dirk.

I guess a compression test would be a reliable way for testing damage.

Cheers Mark. Here's me keeping my fingers crossed. Engine still seems to run fine but I guess I will find out soon enough. Luckily I have scored a replacement engine for a box of beer so I do have a backup plan. Cheers Dirk.

Found it! Broken manifold gasket. Deffinatley the best case senario. The angels are looking after me. I wonder why it failed like that? I just hope the water in the cylinders has not caused any further problems. I had a couple of water lock situations which I hope haven't caused too much extra stress. Dirk.

Just checked that but no. They are still intact. I may have exagerated a little about all the water. Think of it more like a lot of emulsified oil. Most of the water seems to be coming out of the exhaust. I'm guessing head gasket or cracked head but a suppose it could be a dodgy inlet manifold gasket. No obvious back pressure/bubbles in the radiator.

Two cyliders full of water, water in oil pan, rockers covers and filler tube, water pouring out of exhaust. ooops! I could just be unlucky but I do wonder if it is something I have done. Could this be as a result of the following: 1. Timing too far advanced? 2. Valve clearances to tight? 3. Exhaust too big? 4. sticky thermostat? I should explain that the thermostat seemed to be sticking shut just long enough for the gauge to read a little over opperating temperature before finally opening properly. Comments and thoughts please? Cheers Dirk

Just blown a head gasket............

Nice one! good on ya mate.

Thanks man. Don't look too close. Its not all that flash but then neither is the rest of the car. Oh yeah. Other stuff i've just done is: Replace a CV boot and convert to electronic igition.

TA DA! Steering wheel is a birthday present from my wife. Thanks love. Don't ask how I got it to fit. I quit smoking a couple of weeks ago so the ashtray got thrown out and I made the cup holder to fill the space. Then got carried away with the wood thing and did the dash and the gear nob too.

Sweet! Conversion was uneventful and successful! New cap and rotor from auto-electricians no problems. Engine runs sweet.

WOW! Only just seen this post. That is one major face lift. I love the cooling system. Its more complex than the compressors.

Is Flow Velocity affective throughout the full length of an exhaust pipe?

I've been reading up a bit on the 80s sub forum. I got a lot out of the EA tuning article. Thanks to who ever wrote it! So I've re built my exhaust reletive to this article. My old exhaust had a 42mm header and then 38mm pipe all the way back (with stock mufflers). I now have 42mm header as before then 45mm pipe to the main muffler and 50mm pipe after the main muffler. So far there is no major difference but I know the mechanical advance on my distributor is a bit funky so I will fix this before I make a conclusion. Interestingly the engine now starts easier with less choke. This got me thinking whether or nbot I need to re-tune the carb now? Comments please? Cheers. Dirk.

Air gap should be about .014 inchs. Info courtesy of Larry Owens! Should have looked there first!

Yup! You need an un-resisted coil. The are about $40 od bucks or just grab one from a wrekers. I'm told high performance coils are not worth the extra cash for this type of application. Cheers. Dirk.

Yippee! Finally I have tracked down an EA81 electronic dizzy! However it is in need of a re-build. The bushings were so worn that the paddle wheel was touching its corresponding parts. So I hope it isn't toasted. Can anyone tell me what the gap is supposed to be between the paddle wheel and its 'connectors' Also clearance between the shaft and its magnet. Cheers. Dirk.